350 days ago the Capitals were disgracefully Halak’d from the playoffs, suffering their second consecutive heart-breaking game 7 defeat in front of their home fans. Do you remember how bad that was? After a regular season in which the Caps set franchise records for standings points (121), wins (54), and consecutive victories (14), we all sat dumbfounded in our chairs as players like Mike Cammalleri celebrated on our home ice like he had slayed Goliath. But did the Habs really do something special? Or did the Capitals play arrogantly, refusing both to elevate their game and do the little things to achieve playoff victory?

This season the mantra coming into training camp was Stay Angry. And while the message was perfect, most of the year as fans, we looked at the team and hoped the team would merely Stay Interested. We witnessed a regression to the mean offensively, an 8-game losing streak and at times, a club that seemed pained to actually play a regular season.

Tonight, is the night where lessons show they have been learned. Tonight, is the time where “saving it” is over. Tonight, the Capitals show that they understand that there is a difference between being the best and playing like the best.

One of my mentors used to tell me: “There’s no way but the hard way to achieve your goals in life. You can be talented, but you have to work hard, be dedicated and pay the price to actually do anything with it.”

My advice to the Capitals: Crash the net hard. Fight for second or third shots. Win every board battle. It doesn’t matter who you play or who’s in goal. If you want it, you will win.